1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to chat systems enabling text-based conversation, wherein a plurality of users connected to a network share virtual spaces set up on the network. The present invention more particularly relates to technology for using a chat system to promote smooth communication.
In the present invention, the chat system comprises a plurality of chat devices. The chat devices are connected to the network, share a virtual conversation space set up virtually on the network, and send and received text messages to one another in a conversational format.
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) system is one type of chat system constructed in compliance with the IRC protocol. An IRC system is constituted by the connection of IRC servers and IRC clients via the Internet and the like. The IRC client shares a virtual space, called a channel, and sends and receives text messages in real time. The IRC server broadcasts messages to the IRC clients that share the same channel. In an IRC system, each IRC client is uniquely designated by an identifier called a nickname.
2. Description of Related Art
With the rapid diffusion of the Internet in recent years, IRC has become widely known as a chat system. In an IRC system, a user can join a plurality of channels. In addition, a user can view conversations in a plurality of channels which the user has joined and can also send messages to a channel to participate in the channel.
The diffusion of the Internet has brought about an increase in opportunities for users at offices positioned at remote locations to coordinate their work. For example, a work style wherein geographically separated members of one department join a ordinarily designated channel, thereby exchanging information and promoting mutual understanding of their intentions, is becoming commonplace. In such a working environment, it is critical to perform work on the basis of an understanding that information is shared. Chat systems, such as an IRC system, are suited as communication tools for building that understanding by sharing information in real time.
By using a chat system as discussed above, it is possible to share information and promote mutual understanding of intentions even while being geographically separated. However, this is strictly limited to cases wherein the users can connect to a chat system; otherwise, these advantages cannot be enjoyed.
Considering an example wherein a certain user at the destination of a business trip wants to contact all members of a group, if it is possible to connect to a chat system, the user can directly convey informational matter to all members of the group by connecting to the chat system and dispatching the matter to the virtual space for the relevant group. However, if it is not possible to connect to a chat system, directly conveying the matter to all of the members is difficult.
Presently, the following methods are conceivable in the case wherein it is desired to convey the same matter to a plurality of members:
(A) The user telephones from his destination to his usual location, and requests the person who takes the call to dispatch a message to the channel on his behalf.
(B) The user leaves a message using by dialing a predetermined telephone number and recording a message, and has those persons belonging to the same department periodically access the service.
(C) The user uses the short message function of a portable telephone to send a message via a mailing list, which can simultaneously distribute electronic mail to numerous persons.
However, methods (A) to (C) above have the following problems:
(A) Since the message can only be conveyed indirectly, there is the uncertainty about whether the nuance one truly wishes to convey is reliably conveyed to all members.
(B) Since persons belonging to the same department are obliged periodically to access the telephone number, this method is troublesome as well as impractical because the message is not conveyed if those persons forget to access the service. In addition, the message is not conveyed in real time.
(C) The amount of information that can be conveyed is small. In addition, operation is complicated if one tries to convey a large amount of information. Furthermore, the message is not conveyed until the other party views the electronic mail.
In other words, a means has not yet been provided that can easily and in real time convey a message to a plurality of users on a chat system when it is not possible to connect to the chat system.
An object of the present invention is to provide technology enabling use of a chat system to convey messages in real time directly to a plurality of users on the chat system, even wherein direct connection to the chat system is not possible.
To solve the foregoing problems, in the present application the invention in a first aspect provides a messaging method used in a chat system comprising chat devices connected to a network that share a conversation space set up virtually on the network and that send and receive text to one another in a conversational format, wherein the messaging method
(A) receives, from an information terminal having a communications function independent of the chat system, communication data and data that designates the virtual space or one of the chat devices, via the communications function;
(B) stores the received data; and
(C) notifies the designated virtual space or one of the chat devices of the storage location of the data via the chat system.
If IRC, for example, is used as the chat system, then the network is the Internet. As an information terminal having a communications function independent of the chat system, an ordinary information terminal like, for example, a telephone set or fax machine on a telephone circuit network, or a PC (personal computer) independent of the Internet can be used. The other terminal that is the second information terminal, whereon an IRC client or IRC server can run, has a communications function for receiving data from the information terminal. The second information terminal receives voice data, image data, text data and the like from the information terminal via the communications function. The second information terminal stores the received data, and notifies via the chat system the conversation space or a specific user of the address of the storage location. A URL (uniform resource locator), for example, can be used as the address.
The user notified of the URL can access the message using an ordinary method. For example, if the user is notified of a URL by an IRC client, the user can access the URL using a browser. The WWW (World Wide Web) server that receives this access request sends the contents of the URL to the user terminal.
The present invention second in a second aspect configures a messaging system used together with a chat system comprising chat devices connected to a network that share a conversation space set up virtually on the network and that send and receive text to one another in a conversational format. This messaging system is provided with a storage means, and a second information terminal.
The storage means is directly connected to the network or is connected to the network via a device connected to the network, and can store data.
The second information terminal receives, from a first information terminal having a communications function independent of the chat system, communication data and data that designates the virtual space or one of the chat devices, via the communications function; and stores the received communication data in the storage means. Furthermore, the second information terminal notifies the designated virtual space or one of the chat devices of the storage location of the communication data via the chat system.
Considering an example in which IRC is used as the chat system, a Web page is used as the storage means, and a telephone is used as the first information terminal. User A uses the telephone set to place a call to the second information terminal, and sends a message by voice designating, for example, channel #CH1. The second information terminal stores the message as is on the Web page designated by xe2x80x9cURL1.xe2x80x9d
Furthermore, the second information terminal uses IRC protocol to notify channel #CH1 of xe2x80x9cURL1.xe2x80x9d The plurality of users participating in channel #CH1 can listen to the on-air voice of user A by accessing the reported xe2x80x9cURL1xe2x80x9d with an appropriate browser. Accordingly, even when it is not possible to connect to an IRC system, raw data can be sent to numerous persons in real time.
The invention in the present application in a third aspect configures a messaging device used together with a chat system comprising chat devices connected to a network that share a conversation space set up virtually on the network and that send and receive text to one another in a conversational format. This messaging device is provided with an external communication means, target switching means, storing means and notification means.
The external communication means receives, from a first information terminal having a communications function independent of the chat system, voice data, text data or image data via the communications function.
The target switching means receives from the first information terminal via the communications function the designation of the virtual space or one of the chat devices.
The storing means stores the received data at a location directly connected to the network or at a location connected to the network via a device connected to the network.
The notification means notifies the designated virtual space or one of the chat devices via the chat system of the storage location of the data.
The messaging device of the invention in this aspect corresponds to the second information terminal of the second invention. To illustrate using the same example given in describing the second aspect of the invention, the external communication means is connected to a telephone circuit and can receive voice data. The target switching means sends a message prompting the telephone set, for example, to input the destination, and acquires the inputted destination. The destination is selected from a channel or one of the IRC clients. The storing means can store the voice data from the telephone set as data under the management of the WWW server. The notification means notifies via the IRC server or IRC client the destination acquired by the target switching means of the URL of the Web page wherein the voice data is stored.
Furthermore, the data received from the first information terminal and then stored is not limited to voice data. For example, if the first information terminal is a fax machine, the messaging device receives image data from the first information terminal and stores it on the Web page. In addition, if the first information terminal is a portable information terminal that does not have a chat device, the messaging device receives text data and stores it on the Web page. In this case, for example, although the first information terminal does not have an IRC client, it can send and receive electronic mail.
The present invention in a fourth aspect configures the messaging device according to the invention in its third aspect, and is provided with a authentication information storage means and a authentication means.
The authentication information storage means stores predetermined authentication information for each user.
The authentication means authenticates a user by making a request to the first information terminal for predetermined authentication information and compares the inputted authentication information to the stored authentication information.
Passwords, user identification numbers, and user voice data can be cited as examples of authentication information. Authenticating the user by using the authentication means can prevent leakage of messages from exchanges between designated users from being leaked to a third party.
The present invention in a fifth aspect configures the messaging device according to the third aspect, and is provided with a message storage means, a conversation acquisition means and a conversion means.
The message storage means stores for each virtual space the message history of the virtual space.
The conversation acquisition means acquires a message in the virtual space from the chat device and stores it in the message storage means.
The conversion means, when the target switching means has received a virtual space designation, acquires from the message storage means the message history of the designated virtual space and converts it to a format suited to the first information terminal.
For example, the conversation acquisition means via the IRC client creates message histories for virtual spaces, and stores them in the message storage means. If the target switching means acquires the designation of a channel from a telephone set, the conversion means acquires from the message storage means the message history of the designated channel. Subsequently, the conversion means converts the message history, which is text data, to voice data, plays back the voice and sends it to the telephone set. If the first information terminal is a fax machine, the conversion means converts the message history to image data and sends it. The conversation in a channel can thus be acquired using an external information terminal, even if the user cannot connect directly to a chat system.
In the present application the invention in a sixth aspect configures the messaging device according to the invention in its third aspect, and is provided with a message table, a recorded message monitoring means and a recorded message notification means.
The message table associates and stores the send destination, send source and storage location of the data.
The recorded message monitoring means, if a virtual space is designated by the first information terminal, determines based on the message table whether data from another first information terminal addressed to the designated virtual space is stored. Furthermore, the recorded message monitoring means also determines based on the message table whether data from another first information terminal addressed to the first information terminal is stored.
The recorded message notification means, in accordance with the determination results, sends the stored data from the other first information terminal to the first information terminal.
For example, the message table stores xe2x80x9cUSER-Axe2x80x9d as the send destination, xe2x80x9cUSER-Bxe2x80x9d as the send source and xe2x80x9cURL1xe2x80x9d as the storage location. If xe2x80x9cUSER-Axe2x80x9d accesses the messaging device by a telephone set and designates channel #CH1, the messaging device performs the following operation.
First, the recorded message monitoring means searches the message table for messages addressed to xe2x80x9cUSER-Axe2x80x9d and messages addressed to channel #CH1. In this case, messages whose send source is xe2x80x9cUSER-Axe2x80x9d are excluded. If a message addressed to xe2x80x9cUSER-Axe2x80x9d is found as a result of the search, the recorded message monitoring means notifies the recorded message notification means of the storage location of the message. The recorded message notification means retrieves, for example, voice data from the storage location and sends it to the telephone set of xe2x80x9cUSER-A.xe2x80x9d Thereby, the data sent to a user by another user can be acquired outside of the chat system. In addition, the data from another user to a designated channel can be obtained outside of the chat system.
The present invention in a seventh aspect provides a computer readable recording medium whereon is recorded a messaging program for executing steps A to D below, used in information terminals connected to a network that share a conversation space set up virtually on the network, and that can send and receive text to one another in a conversational format.
(A) a step of receiving from a first information terminal having a communications function independent of the chat system, voice data, text data or image data via the communications function;
(B) a step of receiving from a one information terminal via the communications function designation of a conversation space or designation of a chat device;
(C) a step of storing the received data at an address directly connected to the network or at an address connected to the network via a network-connected chat device; and
(D) a step of using the network-connected chat device to notify of the storage location of said data to the designated conversation space or designated chat device.
The invention in this aspect thus yields the same effects as those of the invention in its third aspect.
The invention in an eighth aspect provides a messaging system including chat devices connected to networks sharing conversation spaces set up virtually on the networks for mutually sending and receiving text in a conversational format, and communication devices for communicating via a circuit-switched network with communication terminals connected to the circuit-switched network. The messaging system is provided with a designation means, a storing means and a reporting means.
The designation means, if an incoming message has been detected from a communication terminal, prompts for the designation of a report destination to which data received from the communication terminal is to be reported, and acquires the report destination.
The storing means stores in a predetermined memory device voice data or image data received from the communication terminal.
The reporting means employs a network-connected chat device to report a storage address for the voice data or image data to the report destination.
The messaging system enables conversation with a chat device such as an IRC client. In addition, the messaging device is connected to a circuit-switched network and can communicate with a telephone set or a fax machine on the circuit-switched network. The designation means, in response to an incoming message from a telephone set or a fax machine, requests input of the destination of data that is to be sent. The storing means stores the received data in databases under the administration of a WWW server. The notification means uses the chat device to notify the designated destination of the storage location of the data indicated by URLs.